Remembering, a Holiday Tradition

“Tradition” - a word we often use loosely to describe cherished moments of sincere intent. The holiday season, for most, has become a time of great purpose, a season in our lives where we can fulfill our greatest needs.

I remember creeping out of bed in the middle of the night with my twin sister, hiding under the multi-colored Christmas tree & staring upward, watching the tiny, dim lights bounce off the round, glass ornaments & soaking in the skewed reflection of my otherwise normal living room while singing, “After these messages, we’ll be right back” until our mother awakened & sternly encouraged us to return to our beds. For more ordinary folk, some of their favorite memories may be baking cookies, jamming out to Christmas music Backstreet Boys-style, or embarking on a chilly adventure to find the perfect tree to chop down & display in the home. Whatever our “tradition” is, we do it with pride & intent of remembering these moments forever.

There are few gifts I recall receiving around the holidays, not because they’re not special or unique, but because I subconsciously reserve memoryspace to embrace irreplaceable moments with family & friends. That’s what “traditions” do for us; they allow us to reminisce on rare moments through familiarity. As is the case with many of you, I am grateful for any gift I ever receive. But the greatest gift I will ever maintain is the ability to look back on these extraordinary times & feel the happiness & joy as if they were occurring for the first time. This year, my Christmas tree is adorned with ornaments collected over my lifetime & lifetimes before me. My mind & spirit brims with years of happy memories as each one is carefully pulled from its box & placed meticulously on my tree. This year has been especially important to me as my children are now at the age where they will begin collecting happy memories of their own. Perhaps one day, they will meticulously place ornaments from their childhood upon their own tree & remember times filled with joy & wonder. I have thoroughly enjoyed capturing the magic in their eyes while they experience some of their greatest tiny adventures!

Enjoy just a few photos I have taken of some of my favorite people over this holiday season :)